Imperial County Officials Tour Solar Farm Site

A host of Imperial County officials and neighbors of a planned solar farm got to tour the development site west of the border town of Calexico last week, the Imperial Valley Press reports.

“Our 946-acre solar power plant is under construction, and we wanted to create an opportunity for the many people who were part of this project in the planning stages to see our progress since work began last December,” said Bob Ramaekers, a vice president with plant developer Tenaska Solar Ventures, in a release.

The Imperial Solar Energy Center South, which is projected to be complete in late 2014, will generate 130 megawatts of power, enough to power about 44,000 homes. Tenaska already has a 25 year agreement in place to sell power generated at the site to San Diego Gas & Electric.

Nine banks have contributed $500 million toward construction, which began last year, according to CleanEnergyAuthority.com.

The release also says that construction hiring will increase in the fall, and that “every effort is being made to hire qualified local workers.”